Planning a trip for next July with my father and 21 year old daughter, principally to visit the Somme, with stopovers. We would like to spend say three nights in the Alps. I have been to Mittenwald and loved it and want to take my family there (first time to Europe for both of them) but now after seeing photos of Annency and Chamonix, am also considering that area instead. Any thoughts?

My initial thoughts were to fly into Munich, train to Garmisch, then get over to Paris by flying from Munich. Or am now thinking flying into somewhere else, stay around Chamonix area, train from there to Paris.

Am trying to organise the trip so we have a mix of mountains, villages and big cities.

Also, we plan to be in Paris on Bastille Day, has anyone experienced this? After France, we will be in London, Bristol and driving around Cornwall, so I think some time in the Alps would be a lovely contrast.

This will be my actual first proper summer visit to Europe as I normally travel at Christmas time. How terrible will the crowds be in July?

Thanks in advance for the help. ))

Geneva or Lyon would be nice airports from which to hop to Chamonix - to me an awesome awesome place much more dramatically the Alpine Wonderland most dream of than the Bavarian Alps - here you have glaciers coming practically down to town - trains up Mont Blanc, western Europe's highest mountain and the dramatic aerial cable cars from Pt de Aiguille to Pt Heilbrunner it Italy and back - traversing a sea of ice far below - not for nervous Nellies as the string of cars stops often to let people on or off at each end
and leaves you dangling in eery silence with only the cracking of ice far below to be heard - hearts relax once the cars move again.

https://www.google.com/search?q=AIGU...w=1920&bih=979

Chamonix has great rail links to Paris - booking early can save tons of money - www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com - same trains same fares but the latter is said to be much easier to book if American. For general info on French trains check www.seat61.com - good info on discounted fares; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com- check the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide for good info on Chamonix and its area.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cham...w=1920&bih=979

The Bavarian Alps are nice but have only vest-pocket areas of the dramatic glacier-girdled high Alps that abounds in the Chamonix area.

There won't be terrible crowds in the Alps in July, neither in Germany nor in France. In July, Europeans are drawn to the Mediterranean beaches.

Your question is a matter of preference. If you are spending some time in France anyway it might make sense to experience a different culture in Germany. Garmisch has certainly enough to offer, including a 3,000-meter-high peak.

Tr 1959 - never been up the Zugspitze - in July will it have snow or glaciers or the Sea of Ice as Chamonix will have at that time? Curious?

Germany has foothills, not Alps.

It would help to know how many weeks altogether you have for this trip.

The Zugspitz (only about 10K feet) is the classic Alp in Germany - but does not have such a wonderful larger area as the Berner Oberland - nor the mountains of the same height.

I can't comment on Annecy since have not been there - but France will be somewhat cheaper than Switz if that's a deal breaker.

If we had the whole itinerary we might be able to make better recos.

Kerouac, you're pretty funny. I live in Garmisch, and I assure you that it is the Alps that I see from my window. Are not the 3000m Zugspitze or the 2600m Alpspitze not the Alps?

PalenQ, unfortunately the Zugspitze has been damaged by global climate change. While there is a glacier at the summit year-round, there is no certainty of year-round snow. For a few years, they covered the glacier with straw & a tarp, but it didn't delay the melting.

nz101, it sounds like Chamonix will give you more of a peaks & glacier experience; however, I have heard that Chamonix is less charming than Austrian, Swiss, or German Alpine towns. I've heard that it has too many modern bits. If that is a concern of yours, you can research it a bit using google's "images" search engine to find photos of the town.

Have fun as you plan!

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Thank you everyone for your ideas, much appreciated. I don't think we can go wrong either way. We definitely want a cable car experience and both areas fit the bill.

We only have about three weeks all up. four nights booked already on the Somme. We have to include Paris for my daughter, London and Bristol for my dad. anywhere else is a bonus, but I know they would both appreciate an alpine experience. I particularly love small villages over cities and was blown away with Mittenwald and that was in January when its probably not at its finest. Yes I think Charming towns is what I am after, absolutely.

I haven't been on the Zugspitze as we chose the Karwendal instead and we got such a thrill with that, it was a highlight of my and hubby's trip last January. Lots of snow, blue sky, it was just picture perfect, hardly anyone else about, like being on top of the world by ourselves. I know this will be completely different in summer without snow.

Have to do more googling I think.